Six Wildcats on AP All-Big 12 teams

Led by first-teamers Tyler Lockett, Ty Zimmerman and Ryan Mueller, Kansas State placed six players on the Associated Press All-Big 12 teams, the organization announced Monday.

In addition to Lockett, Zimmerman and Mueller, the Wildcats’ second-team members included center B.J. Finney, offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas and linebacker Blake Slaughter.

Lockett was named to the first team as both a wide receiver and all-purpose player. He earned first-team honors for the first time in his career after leading the Big 12 in all-purpose yards during the regular season (151.4 per game), ranking second in receiving yards (104.2 per game) and third in receptions (6.5 per game).

A product of Tulsa, Okla., Lockett ranks fourth in school history in single-season receptions (71) and yards (1,146), while he is ninth in K-State history with eight touchdowns this season. Thanks in part to his 440 all-purpose yards against Oklahoma – which were the fifth most in FBS history – Lockett ranks eighth in school history in single-season all-purpose yardage (1,665) and ranks second in a career (4,096).

The first four-time all-conference honoree in school history, Zimmerman picked up his second-straight First Team All-Big 12 designation during his senior year. The safety ranked third in the conference in tackles among defensive backs (7.0 per game), while he tied for sixth in interceptions with three, including a Big 12-best two returned for touchdowns. Zimmerman ranks third in school history with 13 career interceptions.

Mueller, who ranks first in the Big 12 with 18.5 tackles for loss and second in the league with 11.5 sacks, picked up all-conference honors for the first time in his career. His 11.5 sacks are tied for the school record with Ian Campbell (2006) and Nyle Wiren (1996), and he ranks ninth in school history in tackles for loss. He also needs just a half sack to appear on the Big 12’s single-season top-10 list.

Finney earned All-Big 12 accolades for a third-straight season, while Lucas was honored for a second-consecutive year.

Slaughter, who redshirted what would have been his senior season in 2012, broke out in 2013 to tally a team-leading 103 tackles during the regular season en route to his first-ever All-Big 12 honor. The Missouri City, Texas, native ranks fourth in the Big 12 in total tackles, while his 103 stops are the most by a Wildcat in a regular-season since 2003 (Josh Buhl, 171).

The coaches’ All-Big 12 teams will be announced on Wednesday beginning at 11 a.m., as the conference will announce the specialty awards every 10 minutes on its official Twitter handle, @Big12Conference. The entirety of its All-Big 12 teams will be announced following the specialty awards.